


A Girl Lost in Time

by ArashiGoddess



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Drama, F/M, Original Character Death(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2020-07-29 09:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20080243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArashiGoddess/pseuds/ArashiGoddess
Summary: Everything started when Hakuyuu's brother, Hakuren, discovers a girl-alive and breathing-in a coffin he accidentally uncovered in an explosion. Not really knowing what to do, he decided to bring back the strange girl home. To everyone's surprise, neither her nor everyone else knows what strange language the other was speaking. Thus, the start of Esher's struggles to survive in this strange world as she tries to understand the people around her and cope with the fact that her world has already been destroyed.





	1. Chapter 1

I was at war.

It was the war between the Nagas the Orthodox controlled and our faction, the Resistance.

They were the final species that we just have to free from the Orthodox's control before we would have enough manpower to take on their leader, Elder David Jehoahaz Abraham. I thought everything was going well because all we had to do was restrain the Nagas from the north side of the Gunud and extract the Divine Staff wielder. We would've won.

I was the assigned Resistance Leader to take on the Nagas and it was my first time leading a battle. I was so excited about it. I had only been coming along as support for every battle either Sheba had been leading or Arba's.

Arba was so dear to me and she was happy that I finally got to do what I wanted to do. But with what was happening, it seems I wouldn't be able to see her anymore. I wouldn't be able to play with her anymore. Nor would I be able to laugh with her _or _even smile with her.

My consciousness was fading now and all I could do was watch as more and more of the people I brought with me went down one by one as the Nagas struck them all with their spears. It was almost a joke how I was defeated atop the Gunud with a clear view of the carnage below me.

I wanted to close my eyes so I wouldn't have to watch how I messed up badly for the faction but I was afraid that if I did so, I wouldn't open them anymore. And with the amount of blood I was losing, I'm not wrong being nervous. Even so, I don't know if I could face anyone after all this.

Everyone's _dying._

And I couldn't do anything.

It getting harder and harder to breathe now. Every breath I take hurts and I was doing it in quick gulps, as if I was getting a shorter and shorter time needed for everyone. My wound was slowly getting hotter the more time passes until it felt like as if it was scorching me now.

I fought off the sleep that was starting to gnaw on my consciousness but I couldn't do it for long.

My eyes slowly closed but before they did, I saw the familiar face of Arba as she flew towards me wearing a worried panicked expression on her usually smiling face.

I gave her one final smile, happy that I get to see her before I became one with our Father.

_Goodbye._

My eyes closed, for the final time.

* * *

"Nooo, no, no, no, no, _no! _No, Esher! Don't!" Arba held back the oncoming tears she could fell at the edges of her vision as the black-haired girl she held in her arms refused to move. The fighters she and Ugo had brought were just in time to save the remaining half of the girl's forces from the Nagas but they didn't expect to see her in such a critical condition.

The brown-haired woman lightly slapped the girl's cheeks, hoping that if she did, she would miraculously open her eyes again and start breathing. "Open your eyes. Come on, open your eyes! This isn't funny! Stop joking! _Open your eyes!"_ When she didn't, Arba's hand fell away from Esher's cheek as she felt her rapidly cooling body in her arms.

Shock was evident in her face as the tears she was keeping at bay, broke free and deftly fell down her cheeks.

No...

No...

_No..._

The hair in the back of her neck rose and she knew she was about to be attacked but she couldn't bring herself to activate her Borg to block it. All she could do was stare at the peaceful face of Esher, the girl she treated like her own daughter, as she lay lifeless in her arms.

Arba was quite the healer herself but there was just somethings even she can't do. And that was to bring back someone who had _died._

"ARBA!" Ugo parried the attack from the ravage Naga that tried to hurt the woman and he used all his strength to push the creature away before dealing a fatal blow of boiling water at it. He left it writhing as it fell off the Gunud to defend against another Naga that appeared. He gritted his teeth and shouted at the unmoving woman, "Snap out of it! You and Esher need to get away here fast! I'll tell Solomon to try tackling this camp for next time so we need to leave!"

The brown-haired woman's shoulders started shaking and Ugo couldn't understand why she wasn't listening to him. And why was the girl not moving-

That was when he saw the blood that was pooling underneath both girls. Seeing the younger girl not moving, he could only conclude that she was...

"Arba! Take her and leave!" He shouted again, this time more intent to have Arba move. Even so, she continued to stay where she was.

But Arba didn't want to move at all. She has no intent on doing so. The first person she had started caring about just died. It was better that she followed her daughter to meet their Father.

She lost her daughter.

Her one and only daughter.

_"Arba! _Snap out of it!" Ugo yelled, strucking down the endless Naga that was pelting down on the defenseless Arba.

How could she have even urged her on to go on this suicide mission. She knew right from the start that she wouldn't be able to handle taking on a camp all by herself even though she was a tad bit older than Sheba. Esher was a soft-hearted girl unlike the woman herself. She wouldn't be able to take a person's life, even if they were a different species. She was so sickeningly like _Solomon_ but she held an innocence the young man didn't have.

That was the main reason why Arba liked her in the first place and even went on her way to shield the girl from the battles as if she was something fragile. And the woman realize that she was right with doing just that. Because now that she had let her out into the world, she _lost her life._

If she could just turn back time. Back to that time when she gleefully volunteered to take on these _monsters _and Solomon let her. If only she had been more intent on not letting her go. If only she hadn't even encouraged her. _If only..._

_"ARBA!" _Ugo hollered as a Naga went past him and went to swing to the woman with its trident.

_SNAP!_

Suddenly, as if something just snapped in her, Arba's tears halted and she stared at the Naga as it went towards her, slowly as if time itself slowed down. Her eyes were wide as she did so and her pupils dilated. She moved her hand and instantly, her Divine Stave materialized in her clutches. With speed far surpassing the creature, she stabbed it straight through the head. Green blood splashed her in the face but she paid it no mind as she wrenched her staff out of its head and watched as the force severed it from the body.

Ugo shivered when he caught a glimpse of the cold and blank hatred he saw in the woman's face before finishing off the Nagas that had pinned him in place. He wasn't much of a fighter but he could at least fight even though he wouldn't last long. He was sent with Arba because the woman would be the one taking on the enemy as he just stayed at the sidelines and commanded everyone.

But with the passing of Esher, Arba seemed like she would wipe out the species of the Naga rather than save them from the clutches of the Orthodox Church. Retreating would be their only choice now, and he knew Solomon would agree with him.

The light blue-haired man took careful steps towards Arba who was now standing with the cold body of the girl in her arms. "Arba. Let's go, yeah? Esher is-"

_"I know." _The brown-haired woman cut him off and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her and himself. Losing Esher was something they hadn't seen coming. She was capable on her own, even more so alongside even just one of the main Resistance Leaders.

For the decade he had known her, she came to be like a sister to everyone... and a daughter to Arba. She was held dear by all of them. Losing her is just.. _too much _of a shock for him. He could only wonder what the effects it was causing to the woman who treated her as if she was the most important thing to her.

Without a word, Arba flew off with her tightly holding unto the body of Esher. Ugo felt sadness overcome him then, and with no hesitation, he followed after her.

* * *

Esher was laid to rest at her favorite place in the world; the cliff where she and Arba first bonded together.

It was the place with the best view of the various tribes the Red Lions had built, where their three sun was always at their biggest whenever you gaze upon them on the horizon, where the trees are big, and animals were everywhere, running freely.

Arba hated the place but she would constantly go over there whenever the black-haired girl would go there. And together, they would watch the beautiful scenery together. And again, she was back at the same place she hated. This time, so that she could lay to rest her beloved person, Esher.

The funeral was brief as per her wishes but even then, everyone had shed their own fair share of tears.

"Esher was strong young woman. Even so, she had the purest heart out of everyone I had met. It was unfortunate that she had met her untimely death." Solomon said to everyone, as his fellow Resistance Leaders looked at Arba's back from afar as she stood over the girl's grave. "If David hadn't created those Gunuds that controlled all the other species, this wouldn't have happen. And until we defeat him, death like this would happen more. I... I don't want to have to experience this anymore."

Everyone took solace in his words but the brown-haired woman.

After all, in that funeral, the only person who didn't shed tears was Arba.

Instead, she was starting to harbor ill-feelings at the words Solomon had just spoken.

* * *

After the world had been united years later, it started being on the edge of being destroyed as Arba, led by her hatred of Solomon for Esher's death, started a war against the united species of the utopia, Alma Torran. She led a group that had successfully reversed the flow of the Ruhk and turned it's pristine white colour into a sickening black.

She called her organization 'Al Tharmen'. Standing beside her helping her lead it were Ithnan, Falan, and Wahid.

And their main goal is have their father ill Ilah descend into the world to destroy the heretics who went against him.

Arba had successfully killed one of her fellow Magi Sheba and her death brought upon the rage of Solomon as he took his Divine Staff to fight one last time for the world. For if he hadn't, _everyone _would die at the hands of his previous comrades now enemies.

"Solomon! I have been waiting for you! Let us play now, shall we?" Arba grinned gleefully. "A game of death!"

Solomon wore a look of contempt as he gazed at the woman he formerly respected as his mentor. All he could feel was just pity for her now. "I'm sorry to have let things become like this. But you have been swallowed by your anger over Esher's death. I will end you, for everyone and Esher's sake."

The woman felt her anger rose in levels at what he said. The playful facade she had put up to greet the King was replaced by one of pure anger. _"You have no right to say that when you know were the one who __**killed her!"**_

She and Solomon met as they both went for the offense.

The battle had lasted long but now, Solomon had Arba trapped in his magic.

She knew that the end was about to come for her and she couldn't help but feel happy for the first time in years ever since her beloved Esher died. She would be able to see her now. See her smile and laugh as if she never died, at all. But this time, they would be beside their Father.

"Ahh... Esher. My dear, Esher. We would be meeting soon, my daughter!" She didn't hold back the tears that was now pouring from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Arba." Solomon's tone was grave as he continued to hold her still with his gravity as the seventy-two holders of the Divine Stave prepared to expel her human body and banish her wretched soul. "But you won't be meeting Esher. _Ever."_

Arba had been listening to him in the corner of her mind but the moment she heard him tell her that, she found herself being the angriest she had been her entire life. It was _just like him _to wrench away her happiness. She broke free of his gravity magic and took the chance to attack Solomon when he collapsed from his magic breaking.

But the Staff holders were faster and each leader of the various species that had gathered to banish her and Ill-Ilah, fired one Ultimate Magic. Arba was engulfed in a blinding light and her body started dispersing before she could even touch Solomon.

**"She died because of you! I will never forgive you as long as eternity remains! **_**I will continue to spiral each world you made into darkness!"**_The final bits of her face started to fall away but even so, the angered voice of her spirit let out one final holler that sent a shiver up everyone's spine.

_ **"SOLOMON!"** _

* * *

And the final war of the utopia, Alma Torran, came to an end as Ill-Ilah retreated back to his own world and every single one of Al Tharmen banished into a different dimension where they would never bother anyone.

But the world was starting to fall apart. There would be no way to continue living on the world now that every single fauna had been destroyed when God had descended.

There was no choice but live in a different world.

Fast forward a thousand years into the New World, the world once again faces another oncoming disaster that would decide the fate of the whole world. And just like where everything started, this story starts at another battle.


	2. Chapter 2

All around him, there were warcries from both the army he was leading and the army of the country of Kai that they were fighting against. It was going on ever since the sun rose and now, the sun was well on it's way down. The other party's army was almost twenty percent of it's previous number and just a little more, they would win the battle and they could advance further south and a city closer to Kai's capital, Mukuge*****.

This person who was leading the army, is the second prince of the Kou Empire, Ren Hakuren; a young man that even with his light-hearted nature has the power to lead the army even at the age of twenty.

He was entrusted with the soldiers for just a week and, already, they were winning a battle everyone thought would last for more than two weeks, _not just half a day._

"Prince Hakuren!" a soldier approached him after he had struck down an enemy who had hoped to escape the chaos by blending with his army. He was smart to wear the ragged armor of a soldier he killed but he forgot about the fact that the prince knew which are his soldiers. It was a good try, though (maybe he should try that tactic sometime to slip into the enemy quarters).

The black-haired prince wiped his sweat with the back of his hand before turning his attention at lightly-armored man; a messenger. "Report."

The soldier stood at attention. "General Seiryuu wanted to convey that you can retreat back now. The remaining enemies can be left to the soldiers, sire."

_Old man Seiryuu, huh?_

"Geez, he's such a worrier." Hakuren let out a huff before laughing lightly. He turned his whole body to the messenger before whipping the Naginata****** to hit away the small ball of fire that was aimed at him by an enemy. He spared it no glance and the other man watched it flew away with wide eyes, surprised at what the prince just did.

The second prince pointed at where it flew off and told him with a grin, "He doesn't have to worry, see?"

_BOOOOOM!_

He sweatdropped at the large explosion he just heard. Everyone, including the enemies, were staring at him in shock. "Uhhh..."

_Note: Bombs don't exists in the East Continent._

"Whaa..."

"W-Was that an explosion?"

"..."

There was a collective silence that followed before, one by one, the enemy soldiers started _surrendering. _The Kou Imperial Soldiers were confused but they all started tying up the enemy with much hesitation on their part.

"One explosion got them to surrender, sire?" The messenger squeaked beside Hakuren and he laughed nervously.

"Apparently, so."

_What have I done?_ He thought with a poorly hidden grimace.

Looking at battle that had now calmed down and officially ended, Hakuren lowered his spear and relaxed, if only slightly. He learned that you shouldn't let your guard down at any costs while you're still at the battlefield. He didn't want to experience another stabbing just because he thought the enemy soldiers were actually giving up.

And he still couldn't believe that their win was even more solidified by the fact that he cause an accidental explosion. He had heard stories that people from the West Continent knew how to create explosions but what were the odds that he would be able to cause one himself? As a guy, that got his spirits up.

_That was so cool._

Then, a commotion caught his attention and he looked towards where it came from. There were some of his soldiers congregating around a huge hole surrounded by scorch marks. It only took him a moment to realize that, that was probably the place where the explosion originated.

"This is weird."

"How come there's something like this here?"

"Freaky."

Curious, he went towards them.

"What's wrong?" Hakuren asked and they all gave way to him, bowing.

They all kept their head low and one answered, "It seems you've uncovered a weird cave with markings, Prince."

Said prince blinked, "What? A cave?" He crouched beside the hole and peered in, seeing various symbols on the sides. Those lead a spiral mess downwards, glowing faintly in the light. He tilted his head, now even more curious. What could be possibly down there?

Standing up, he ordered, "Get me a torch. I'm going down there."

"E-Eh!? Prince! You can't! It is much too dangerous!" The soldiers voiced out their thoughts and Hakuren stared at them for a bit until they quieted down but they still didn't follow him.

He tilted his head and then said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "It's an order, you know?" And it was.

Silence followed. The soldiers shared a look, unsure of what to do.

...

"I'll prepare the torch, your Highness."

"I'll handle your supplies, sire!"

"Would you like to have your wounds treated first, my prince?"

He resisted the urge to laugh at the now willingness of his men to obey him. But they were right, though. He may be risking his life for something at the cave but what? What could be so important that strange symbols akin to seals would be at the place? ...Monsters?

At the prospect of meeting a possible monster, Hakuren hurried the soldiers who were preparing the torch he asked for. Once he got it, he wasted no time in jumping down into the hole, an excited grin on his face. All the while, the men he left behind shouting their various worries for the prince.

The fall wasn't that long but when his feet touched the rocky moss of the ground beneath him, the sounds he could hear above him dwindled. Looking up at the faint silhouettes, it seemed that he would have to shout if he had to contact them.

But no matter, it was time for an _adventure._

Swinging the lighted torch around, he found a passageway that seemed to lead deeper into the cave. The symbols had continued their way through the passage, and despite the chill that went up his spine at the darkness he saw, he still forced himself to go forward.

The black-haired prince watched as the glow of the walls followed him and he concluded that his torch might be the reason for it. And having a closer look at them, it seems... familiar somehow. Had he seen them before?

He continued raking his gaze over the symbols before he reached the end of the passage where he was greeted by a large opening. His eyes widened when the light of the symbols that were following him suddenly lighted the opening with a flurry.

Hakuren almost lost ahold of his torch at what he saw.

The place was _big._ It was a wonder how nobody had found it yet. Especially since above ground was a battlefield.

From what he could see, there was a huge circle of symbols on the floor. In the middle was a cracking rectangular rock; possibly a container of sorts since there were parts that was crumbling away to show a hollow inside. It was also covered by multiple chains and small papers. Just looking at the ominous object sent a shiver up his spine.

It was no doubt creepy and he would rather _stay away _but he would have to check it out sooner or later.

Shaking his head, he decided to put it off for later and decided to walk around. There was much more he could check out, and he _should _have contacted his soldiers by now to tell them about what he found, but then he would have no time to see everything for himself.

Curiosity first, safety later.

The place was littered by artifacts he hadn't seen before. Various rusting jewelries, large jars, tables, crumbling textiles, more of those circle made from symbols, and various large metal torches (which he ignited to see more of the place).

The jewelries look like some of them may be salvagable and with the amount he found, that may very well be the case. The large jars were either empty or filled with sand; one even had a strange flower growing on one. The tables were made from stone with more circle of symbols. And the textiles are unfortunately unusable or would not even amount to anything.

All and all, everything seemed normal, if not eerie on it's own. The only thing that was out of place was the stone container in the middle of the place.

Just looking at it was making the prince uncomfortable. If he was right with his assumptions about it being hollow in the inside, then what could it have been hiding? The whole place seemed that it was centuries old but the stone seemed like it was even older than that.

What _was _it?

Swallowing his own jittery nerves, he continued lighting as much of the torches the place held as possible until he was standing infront of the stone container. By then, the place was well-lit and that somewhat eased him. Taking a deep breath, he unsheathed his sword and proceeded to cut down the chains, one by one by _one_.

He watched as they fell down on the ground with loud clanging sounds before steeling his nerves and sliding off the cover of the container. It took much effort to do so and the prince only got it to half way open before he had a clear view of what was inside.

_ **A person.** _

He screamed. "UWAAHHHH!"

* * *

The moment they heard the prince scream, the soldiers in the vicinity did what any sane person would do; _they simultaneously jumped down into the hole._

It was much deeper than they thought so they ended up in a pile before they got their bearings and followed the lighted passage. They exited into a huge opening, lighted by symbols on the wall and torches. Some of them took a moment to marvel at the place while the more rational ones ignored the urge to stare and hurried towards the shocked prince.

"Prince Hakuren!"

"A-A-A person-no... a _girl!"_ He managed to say in the midst of his surprise and the soldiers assumed stances of alert. Seeing that, he quickly added, "Don't! I think... I think she's _dead."_

They all shared a look. Still none of them relaxed.

Hakuren sighed at that, scratching his chin in thought before he stood up and dusted himself (how disgraceful to be found in such a state of weakness). "She's not moving. Nor did she even react at all the noise."

Besides, he had seen what the state of the corpse was. It was... _perfectly preserved._ As if she had just died recently. But her pale skin and crumbling _clothes_ were more than enough evidence for him to assume that she has been dead for quite awhile. That in itself was surprising. Was her corpse as old as the artifacts in the cave itself?

Impossible... _right?_

Ending his thoughts with that, he turned to the soldiers that came down with him and ordered them to thoroughly search the cave for anything salvagable. Anything they find would be what they would bring back above ground and potentially back at the capital, Rakushou. Assuming, of course, that what General Seiryuu meant by 'retreating' before is that 'he could go back to the palace already.' He wanted to tell everyone what he had found, especially his older broher, Hakuyuu.

But knowing the Prince's luck, that won't be the case.

A few of the soldiers suggested that he should go climb back and he decided that it was about time that he did so. He still has to monitor what the others did to the war prisoners they got. Added to that was the fact that he also has to report back to General Seiryuu about what went on with the war and his accidental findings.

Hakuren was just a few steps away from the passage where he came from before a surprised voice from one of the soldiers stopped him in his tracks.

"This girl... she's still alive!"

The second prince's eyes widened and he turned around, his gaze zeroing on the soldier who announced it.

_What?_

* * *

General Li, an aged man in his sixties yet still working for the army, gave the seated Hakuren before him an unamused look.

"How did one accidental explosion lead to you finding an _alive, _probably ancient, girl?"

He puffed up his cheeks childishly, something he only dared to do with those he was comfortable with. "It was supposed to be an adventure! I didn't expect to find her either when I went down that cave." He pointed out.

The two of them were inside his tent back at camp with all of the prisoners snug in their bindings and the artifacts from the cave (salvagable or not) all in safe-keeping. The girl they found _alive_ wasn't waking up no matter what they do so they just left her in her stone container and extracted her with it; chains and all. The unnamed girl was examined by the site doctors, saying that she was healthy in every other way. No wounds, no scars, even _scratches_ couldn't be found in her body. Aside from her probably being older than any of them combined and not even conscious, she was just... normal.

Everyone who examined her expressed their worry about her real origins so to appease them, her and the container she was in was currently guarded by a few soldiers to prevent the others from crowding around the place where she was kept. Even so, she still gathered a large number of on-lookers.

The older man sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperaton. _He didn't know what to do with his godson._ He's almost as troublesome as his other brother and his stubbornness and cheek. If his old friend and Emperor Hakutoku had chosen the older of the two for the expedition, he wondered what else would've happened in his stead.

_He probably would've found an ancient city on his own. _He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. It might happen and if that were the case, he didn't want to foretold something so troublesome.

"You would have to go back for this. Report to his Highness." He concluded.

Hakuren visibly brightened. "Really?"

General Li deadpanned. "Yes. You've done your own fair share of warring and even brought us an essential win. Our strategists will agree." He gave a long and heavy sigh. "Besides, the one who is more suited to report to his Highness about your... _findings _is you. Such artifacts plus that girl you uncovered is sure to bring your father something to amuse himself with for the time bei-"

"I get to go home! Awesome!"

"Don't be so exci-_Did you even listen to what I said?_"

Hakuren grinned at his irritated Godfather. "Don't worry too much, old man Seiryuu. Father will let you go home soon. Just wait for either him, me, or my brother to come back and we'll take care of your work here." He assured, already standing up to prepare for his journey back to Rakushou.

General Li leaned back in his chair, the back of his hand against his chin. Annoyed, he muttered, "I better. My wife has been missing me and I don't like keeping her waiting."

Hakuren glanced over his shoulder at the other man and smiled sadly. His wife has been waiting for him to go home for the past six months already. And considering he was at his sixties and should be retired already, the woman has all right to worry. Especially since the two of them had grandchildren already.

The second prince laughed, lightening the sour atmosphere. "You'll go home soon. I'm sure Father will let you. _Or_... maybe he would send General Kokuhyou in our stead!"

The aged man had enough of his antics and shoo'ed him out of the tent.

Now alone, Hakuren smiled to himself and looked up at the dark sky littered with stars as far as the eye could see. He could just feel that something amusing was about to happen and until he goes back to the Palace, he just have to sit tight and wait to know as to what that could be.

Walking away, he started humming to himself.

* * *

About a week later at the far distance of the capital of Kou Empire, one could see the outlines of a massive incoming parade of the army. The people of the city Rakushou felt their arrival even before they saw them as they entered the city riding horses and carriages.

And the person that was leading it at the head is the second prince of Kou, Ren Hakuren.

He had finally come back to his home.

They slowed their horses down into trots and traversed the city through the main road, leading up to the red palace. The citizens who were at the road when they came all dropped down to one knee and bowed their heads, one hand curled around their closed fist.

All of them knew the reason why the prince had come back and that was because they had won their battle. News usually travelled fast when it came to these kinds of stuff in their militaristic country. And they were all proud because once again, glory has been brought to their motherland Kou.

The sight of them parading aroung the city was something that was the norm already but one particular carriage caught the attention of those that it passed by. It was... out of place no matter how you looked at it with the clear clanging of chains that emenates from its inside. Not only that, there were a few of the royal monks that were riding their horses right alongside it _and only there._

It attracted a lot of attention that by the time they finally arrived at the palace, they managed to gather quite the following. They were quickly dispersed by the soldiers but even then, they remained looking.

Hakuren sweatdropped and tried his best to ignore them.

The outside gate opened wide to let them inside and he blinked at the person who went to greet him.

"Yuu!" he said in surprise, unmounting his horse to greet his older brother.

If you see the two of them, you could definitely tell that they are brothers. What with their nearly identical looks, the one thing that solidified the fact was their matching beauty marks located at the left of their chins. Even their two younger siblings had them, especially their mother who they inherited it from.

Hakuyuu smiled. "Welcome back, Ren."

Hakuren grinned, approaching his brother and sharing a hug. "You weren't busy?"

"No, not really." He stepped away from the hug to peek over the other's shoulder at the carriage that was unloading a stone container. "How could I when I heard news that you've brought something interesting?"

The younger prince followed his gaze before scratching his chin, sheepish. "Yeah... Have they mentioned that it was accidental?"

"They have." Hakuyuu approached said container and Hakuren followed him. The soldiers gave way and bowed to him. "But _a girl: _Sleeping in her coffin, supposedly immortalized, and possibly older than the world itself... This is quite the treasure you've found."

The second prince waved what he said away. "That's what everyone says but I'm still skeptical about it. There's no way there exists someone who's _that _old."

Hakuyuu tilted his head towards him and smiled slyly. "But you never know. Magic exists and it's not impossible that she actually is, you know? Even her slumber can be easily summed up to be the work of magic." He paused before saying slowly. "Where is she anyway? Still in there?" He gestured to the rectangular stone infront of them.

"That's right. We left her there so that we can easily transport her and that."

"Oh?" Hakuyuu blinked, surprised. "Then shouldn't we bring her to a room then? I imagine a stone coffin is not at all comfortable."

The younger of the two squinted his eyes at the other, suspicious. "You're planning something again, aren't you?"

He innocently tilted his head. "Am I?"

Hakuren puffed his cheeks. _Oh, he's definitely up to something._

"Does she have a name?" Hakuyuu suddenly asked.

"Hmm..." Hakuren thought about it. He didn't really give the girl any name. He just... didn't need to? He was more concerned with returning and keeping what he found _safe._ But, if you were to ask his soldiers, they would surely give you the nickname they gave her: _Sleeping Beauty._

To be honest, it was quite brilliant.

"Sleeping Beauty," he announced. Then he shrugged, ignoring the men around them who shuffled, embarrassed that their prince knew the nickname. "The soldiers gave her that since we don't really know what to call her. And it just... _stuck,_ I guess."

_"Nemurihime..." _His older brother hummed, testing the way the word rolled off his tongue.

"Wanna look at her?" The second prince suggested and he saw his older brother's eyes light up slightly, even if his smiling facade didn't change. It was something he knew how to pick since he had spent so much time with him.

He turned to the soldiers and gestured for them to open it. The chains were taken off, papers and all, and they fell at the ground with a clang. When that was out of the way, they proceeded to open it.

When the stone cover was properly slid off, Hakuyuu saw what _Sleeping Beauty_ looked like. Indeed was the rumors true. She _was_ a beauty.

He stared before saying lowly, breathless. "She definitely needs a proper room."

Hakuren looked at him suspiciously. "Just so you know, she's never woken up before so if you're planning to do something, she's not gonna be all the wiser to it."

The other raised a delicate brow. "Hm? Are you suggesting I go ahead then?"

"_NO! _I mean that that's even _worse, _dammit!"

The first prince laughed. "It's alright, Ren. She just looks like the type to easily cry."

Hakuren resisted the urge to face-palm. _Of course. It's because he found _someone_ he wanted to tease._

As princes of the great Kou Empire, there are a lot of things expected of the two of them. One of them was to be entertained by courtesans every night. It's not that they don't like it, but being at it for almost years now, they start to grew bored of the visits. It was only reasonable that one of them would start to cause trouble after all of it.

And of the two brothers, the older one was always notorious for making the girls of the night cry whenever they went home. No one knew but Hakuren himself what the older Haku did to make them shed tears. And that, is simply caused by his _sharp tongue._

Hakuyuu was a saint in front of everyone, but behind closed doors, he would come close to becoming the devil himself. Even someone of his status who can have anything he wants can grew jaded and bored.

See, nothing makes him happier than causing a woman's tears. And being sadistic was just one of the many things that kept him from growing _too _bored.

"Let us go see Father." Hakuyuu passed his brother and the other nodded his head. He forgot that he still needed to report to his father about what went on at north Kai.

"Ah, yeah." He turned towards the soldiers who stood at attention when he looked over. "Bring everything to Ren Koumei's quarters. Tell him that I want everything analyzed for future use. _Especially, _Nemurihime."

They all bowed their heads.

"Yes, Prince Hakuren."

* * *

Koumei stared at the soldiers in front of him, who wavered not at the blank expression he was currently giving them. He brushed away a lock of his hair, one of the pigeons perched on his head flying away at the gesture, and he put down the scroll he was reading.

"What is all this?"

When he spoke, the tone of his voice matched the face he was currently making. It unnerved the soldiers but being men under the military for years now, they didn't let it show. Though they were sure the boy in front of them still knew.

It was just one of the things that he had picked up from the lies his brother told him about their biological mother. That was all in the past now, but he had kept the skill and found it useful even now.

A personal retainer of Prince Hakuren accompanied the soldiers and with his head bowed, he explained what the prince had found on north Kai and what he wanted Koumei to do with all of it. He kept the truth about the coffin to himself, waiting to see what the Royal Strategist's reaction to it would be.

Afterwards, Koumei stood up, dusting the birds off of him, before walking towards the items they had brought to look over everything. The artifacts are definitely precious, although old and rusted they may seem. They contained symbols he had never seen before and…

He paused.

"What is with the chains on that?" He asked, staring at the stone container at the very back where he could see chains and papers surrounding the thing. It was giving off such a strange feeling that he couldn't help but just stare.

It was an old one, that much he could tell from the cracks it had but it had a chipping corner where he could see inside it. And for some reason, he saw… a _foot?_

"That's Nemurihime, sire." Someone elbowed the soldier who piped in. "_OW!"_

The young Kou stared at the soldier who was rubbing his side and the others who was glaring at him for speaking up. "Nemurihime?"

They all went silent before Hakuren's retainer spoke up.

"She is a girl found inside that very container. There are mysteries surrounding her very being; even the prince himself believes that she may be just as old as the container she's held in." he explained and Koumei's eyes widened.

"She may be that old?" he turned to the soldiers and ordered them to open the container. Doing so, he watched as they removed the chains and papers before lifting the heavy stone lid.

Gulping he went towards the 'coffin' and peered in, expecting a pungent smell of rotting meat to hit him but instead, a faint fragrance of a flower did. His brows furrowed and he took a closer look at the girl, his eyes widening when he found no signs of postmortem decay.

"Liar. You said she was really old." Koumei could barely keep the squeak from showing in his voice. He stepped away from the coffin, almost fearfully.

The retainer spoke again, this time holding all seriousness in his tone. "Sire, we still do not know a thing about her. She may be dangerous. If you do not want to study her for the benefit of the Kou Empire, then I understood. But…" He met the young one's eyes and held them. "Prince Hakuren chose you for a reason. I am sure that he believes no one is more fitting for this job."

Koumei kept silent, still staring head on at the adult in front of him who seemed adamant with him taking in the girl to study her.

To be honest with himself, scared as he may be, he was actually curious about this… _Nemurihime. _The thought of her being someone whose age is that old being alive still? It was making him feel the same childish giddiness he felt ever since he first started researching miracles.

His lab had grown since he first started and 'miracles' can now be called works of 'magic'. True, he had nothing compared to the breakthroughs that Magnostadt Academy had achieved over the span of two decades, but it was still a big leap for the Kou Empire who previously believed that magic was nothing more but a _miracle._

And if he were to take on this request; find out where she originated from, what was causing her deep sleep, break her from that spell… who knows what the results would bring to Kou?

Coming into a decision, Koumei sighed.

"Fine. I will take her in."

Prince Hakuren's retainer smiled slightly.

"Sorry to trouble you, sire."

* * *

Nemurihime, as the girl was called, was brought to an isolated room at the back of the north garden. It was far enough away from the main palace rooms that if ever she awakens and was deemed dangerous, she would be close enough to the soldier's quarters that she would be easily contained.

There, she was watched over by the royal monks and doctors, monitoring her every breath and anything that shows signs that she was coming to wake.

There was… nothing they could find out about her that they already didn't know.

She's alive.

_But she's not going to wake up._

They left her in the room, heavily guarded outside by soldiers that kept away anyone curious enough to go near, and went to report to their young research leader, Koumei, about their lack of findings.

Perhaps because they are merely normal humans, they didn't know of the signs that the Ruhk was clamoring in the air, warning of something terrible that was to happen in the near future and also of a great miracle.

And that very event, starts its roots as of now.

* * *

_Faint cries of help._

_Roars of the monsters that killed any and everyone they saw._

_Fire, crackling, _burning.

_And then…_

_There was a voice._

_Far away but growing ever near._

_It was the desperate yell of a mother, reaching out to her as her consciousness faded._

"_ESHER!"_

* * *

The girl, slowly opened her eyes to show her blue crystals, shining with life that was once taken from her. It was as if she was a newborn seeing everything for the first time.

"…_Arba…?"_

* * *

Gasping, the current Empress of the Kou Empire, Ren Gyokuen, looked away from watching her children playing in the garden below her. She looked up, confused, as the Ruhk suddenly rejoiced.

For what reason, she couldn't pinpoint in their loud cries.

Her retainers, always trailing behind her, asked in concern, "What's wrong, your Majesty?"

She grew quiet.

Then, she chuckled slightly, shaking her head.

"It was nothing. Let us go."

In truth, she knew it wasn't just _nothing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Rose of Sharon (Hybiscus syriacus)  
**A sword that is treated like a spear. The only difference is that the blade is longer.


	3. Chapter 3

_A dream from long ago, flashes in her mind and replays before her eyes. Almost as if reliving the bittersweet memory but with her as a mere bystander. And she watches as a tiny little girl runs after a woman, her long braids swaying with her every step, and she tackles her into a hug. It incited an amused giggle from the familiar woman, a sound she missed so much that it clenched at her heart._

"_Hello, Esher. It seems you've missed me."_

"_Of course, Arba! You've left me for a long while!"_

_She could hear the pout from her younger self. Those sorts of greetings that she gave the woman was something that always happened. It couldn't be helped, after all. She was fighting for the betterment of the world. And although waiting uncertainly, wondering if she was going back harmless or full of wounds, she always waited._

_Always._

_Her younger self's expression fell, remembering the times she had spent waiting as well. She could feel the Ruhk around her growing uneasy as she spoke, her voice sounding tinier than it previously was._

"_Arba… what happens when one dies?"_

_She looked up at the woman, who gave her small smile. It was neither uncomfortable or hesitant, just a patient one and she lifted her up into her strong arms. She had almost forgotten how much she could be so reassuring whenever she held her like that._

"_Well you see, when that happens, that person becomes one with God. What a wonderful thought, yeah?"_

_Like she was infected with her joyful smile, the girl smiled widely as well. She found the thought of something like that to be more reassuring and more fitting than any answer she was to receive from this woman who she viewed as her own mother._

"_Yes, it is!" She wrapped her arms around the other's neck and squeezed tightly as she whispered with all sincerity she could muster, "I love you, Arba."_

_And she responded,_

"_I love you too, Esher."_

* * *

When she had opened her eyes, Esher felt as if things had been different. It was a feeling at first, then she saw the actual physical differences.

She was in a room of sorts, laying on a lush bed with designs on the sheets that she had never seen before. There were pillows, but even those looked different from the usual white she knew of.

Where was she?

She tried to heave her body up, but found that she couldn't. It was almost like she was weaker, like a fawn who had just been born and immediately tried walking.

It was painful to move.

But there was little she could see laying down and only moving her head so she gritted her teeth, and did her best to roll over to her side. That was tiring already by itself but she must hoist herself up still. So, swinging one arm so she could clutch the headboard above her head, she proceeded to pull her body up. She was groaning in pain during the action, and despite wanting to let go and be reclaimed by the bed, she knew that it would be better if she just sat up, especially in that place she was unfamiliar of.

Esher was gasping by the time she was done. Sweat dotted her face and her limbs were still trembling. There were questions floating about in her head. What was with her? What happened and why was she having trouble moving?

Her blue eyes scanned the room once more, the sun that was filtering in from the cracks of what looked to be a window gave her an indication that it was about noon and she could see more than before. The curtains, the chair, the desk, the clutter of decorations, the wood walls; _everything_ was unfamiliar.

Dread settled in the pit of her stomach, making her realize that whatever place it is, it was far away from everyone she knew.

Her gasps turned panicked and she could feel her throat closing. She crawled closer towards the edge of the bed, swung her legs so they dangled from end, and did her best to stand up. She was only upright for a few moments before her legs gave out underneath her and she was left sprawling on the floor. As her palms scraped on the wooden floor, she could feel tears welling up from the corner of her eyes. The reality that she was in, hitting her harder than ever.

She felt so weak, in a place that she did not know of. It was like she was kidnapped and stripped of whatever it is that made her capable of moving by herself and she didn't like it. She was _afraid _of it.

Then, her eyes caught sight of what appeared to be a green rock of sorts. It had a shape unusual of that of a rock; it was longer, with branch like segments sticking out. It was on a top of a shelf, like it was a decoration among the water themed ones beside it.

As if something clicked, she started remembering.

_Faint cries of help._

_Roars of the monsters that killed any and every one they saw._

_Fire, crackling, _burning.

_And then…_

_There was a voice._

_Far away but growing ever near._

_It was the desperate yell of a mother, reaching out to her as her consciousness faded._

"_ESHER!"_

Jolting, she gasped and reached out her hand to the person, "Arba!" But it disappeared before she could touch her. Perhaps it was due to shock, but her hands shook terribly so and the tears she was holding back fell deftly on her cheeks unto the floor beneath her.

She heard murmurs, some even alarmed yells from outside her rooms. It was far away yet close. She could also feel their menacing presence as they came closer to where she was. But with shock, she didn't pay them any mind. Instead, she was focused on what she had remembered.

She held her hand close to her face and for a moment, it was dyed red with _her _blood.

That's right. She died, didn't she? On top of that Gunud where she lay helpless, watching as more and more of the magicians fell from the hands of the Nagas. It was a mission. She was so happy to have it assigned to her. And because she wanted to help that one child Naga from that falling debris, despite the fact that they were supposed to be her enemies. She was weak to kids, seeing that child not know they were about to get hurt because they were dazed from mind control magic was something she could not ignore. And that left her open to the Nagas who were out to get her.

It was instantly, like a blink of an eye. One moment, she was fine, the next she was ambushed. They were able to hurt her but it wasn't anything life threatening yet, but she had used her magic and she was running low on Magoi.

The decisive blow happened when they cornered her on atop the Gunud.

It hurt more than any wound she has every received in her life. And she knew with her low reserves, she would not be able to heal herself.

Her hands unconsciously trailed towards her stomach, the clothes she was dressed in were in the way, but she knew the wound was gone. She could not feel it even if she pressed at it. It was supposed to hurt, wasn't it?

"What… what..?"

Suddenly, the door to her room burst open. Surprised flickered in her face as men with unfamiliar clothing (no, those are too thick and heavy for everyday wear. Are they _armored, _maybe?) entered and pointed what looked like glaives at her. They started yelling at her, with tongue she could not understand. The weapons were pointed at her in a way that she knew if she made one wrong move, she was going to be pierced.

She wasn't fond of the thought. Nor was she anymore glad that they were doing it while she felt she was at her most vulnerable state.

The thought of having to die once again was probably what fueled her fear even more.

Before she knew it, her palms that were connected with the wooden floor started glowing a faint purple light. Her magic now activated, made the wood react and their cells began to rapidly expand and gain life once more. The formerly flat flooring was now growing with just a blink of an eye, turning into spikes that pinned the surprised men to their places.

None were hurt. But none of them could move now.

Taking that as her chance, Esher forced herself to get up, no matter how much it hurt and how her body refused to move the way she wanted it to. The soldiers were yelling at her and she didn't need to understand them to know that they were telling her to stop. She didn't want to listen. She wanted to _get out of there._

Where was everyone? Their leader Solomon, her somewhat sister Sheba? Her auntie Falan and her husband Wahid? Where was Ithnan? Where was Ugo? _Where was Arba?_

It was getting harder to breathe, panic once again weighing heavily on her heart. She tried her hardest to keep them at bay, but the tears wouldn't stop flowing. She felt so scared and so alone. Added to that was her limited mobility and it made things all the more worse than it was.

She got out of the room and in a hallway of sorts. More men were coming towards her and they didn't hesitate to charge at her. Taking a step back from fear, she activated her magic once again and did to them what she did to their comrades back in the room she was initially in. Esher knew the difficultly of performing magic without her staff but she didn't trust herself to keep her own body upright, much less a golden stave that was taller than her. So, she did what she could not to harm anyone. That wasn't her intention. She just wanted to render them immobile and she hoped that they would stop soon.

She just wanted to be left alone. To wonder where she can find her precious people. _That was all._

Going past the bound men, she once again blocked their anger-filled voice out of her head and tried her best to move faster. She didn't want to encounter anymore people who intend to hurt her.

As soon as she went through one final door, the world outside greeted her. The rain was pouring and there were more people waiting outside for her. Fed up, she couldn't help the frustration that bubbled up inside her. And along with it boiling over was her magic.

"Leave me alone!"

She covered her face as she yelled out, her Magoi mixing with those from the unfamiliar fauna around her. The first to react were the wood from the trees as they hastily scampered across the ground and block the waves of men that were in the middle of charging towards her. It stopped them in their tracks. There was a commanding voice that rang through the air and Esher flinched.

With tears still pouring and mixing with the rain on her face, the woman did her best to hastily get away from everyone.

From behind her, two men vaulted over the now calmed down growth of the trees' branches.

* * *

_For the first time, Hakuren has a serious expression on his face._ Hakuyuu, the older of the two, silently noted as they nimbly went through the spikes that the woman had caused in her hysteria. He knew that the mysterious woman his brother has unearthed was special of sorts. Maybe even magical in that sense if she really was as old as everyone had claimed.

Well, _he was right. _And it was a lot more trouble that they had initially thought. Perhaps sending soldiers to take care of her and calm her down wasn't a good idea because of what she did. And with her yelling out something that neither he nor his brother had ever heard of before, it was safe to assume that she was foreign of origin too.

That being said, the woman that he was thinking of was currently given a helping hand by a willow tree so that she could get over the walls and into the woods behind it. She was slow and seemed to be having trouble walking but with the help of magic, things were getting a bit easier to do. He tsk'ed to himself, annoyed.

"Are you having fun, brother?" Hakuren offhandedly commented as they vaulted over the Palace walls, landing on their feet in a crouching position.

"Do I look like I'm having 'fun', _you idiot?" _He scowled at the other making the other raise his brows, slightly amused.

He waved his hands around, mocking, "Oh no, I'm so scared."

"Don't make me hit you instead."

He immediately shut up.

Hakuyuu then went onwards where he thought the woman had went to, his brother following closely behind him. They exchanged running in favor of walking instead. They had lost her when she had crossed the Palace walls, so they needed to take their time and survey their surroundings to find her. And judging by the scraps of cloth on the branches and bushes, it seemed that she went north-west.

It didn't take them long to find her. Alongside the obvious markers that showed where she went, her sobs also had a hand in helping them find her.

When they had reached where she was, the two of them frowned to themselves as they didn't see her anywhere. In front of them was a willow tree and they could hear her in it. They didn't speak but they did exchange glances, nodding to each other to show that they were aligned in the same thought.

Hakuren jumped up and grabbed a thick branch before he hauled himself up, nimbly climbing the tree. Meanwhile, Hakuyuu took his time walking around it and surveying the area. When he had come a full circle, his brother dropped down from the leaves and they shook their heads at each other.

Despite the cries, she was nowhere in sight.

Admittedly, they were back to square one.

The second prince scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to do while the older of them two went into deep thought.

_The woman was clearly someone who knows how to use magic. She can use nature from around her to attack or even defend herself. If that was the case then-_

…

"Hakuren, stay here."

He blinked, watching as his older brother walked towards the tree. "Yuu?"

The first prince didn't say anything back to him and instead continued on his strides. He stopped just in front of it and placed his hand in the trunk and listened carefully. Sure enough, he could hear her clearly through the wood.

They didn't see her, but that was only because she had hidden herself inside of the tree.

_Clever, _was his thought giving a slightly amused smile. That was quickly wiped off as he thought of what to say.

Both of them didn't know how to use magic, and they even understood it less. There was no way for them to get to her unless they talked her out of it. And from what they had witnessed back there? It seems as if even talking wouldn't do them any good. They spoke different languages and neither of them understand each other.

What was he supposed to do?

Then again, it wouldn't hurt to try at least. And so, that's the decision he had decided on.

He took a deep breath… and started speaking.

* * *

Esher had been shaking badly, _crying._ She was inside of a tree she had come across, having crawled at the space in-between the trunk and closing it off behind her. There was nowhere else that she could hide. If there was one thing she was afraid off, it was having to hide in an unfamiliar territory, especially if it had belonged to an enemy.

The people back there… they looked just like any other human, but they spoke a language that she wasn't familiar with. She had never heard of tongue nor did it even sound like dialect. Not only that, but even the things that surround them are didn't look like anything she had seen before.

Their clothes, their language, their weapons, the armor they wore, _their lack of Ruhk._

It all did not make any sense. Who are they and where had they been in the world?

She clung to herself more, trying to inch away from the unfamiliar wood touching her. It all feels so strange. It was unlike anything she touched before. Even her current clothing did not feel right on her skin. She wanted it off.

Her low Magoi reserves were also adding to her fear. The moment she had woken up, she had trouble trying to use magic. It didn't feel like she was receiving them from someone powerful anymore. Instead, she got most of it from her surroundings. That was a thought that scared her more.

Had God disappeared?

That heightened her suspicion that maybe, she wasn't in her own world anymore but in a different one. And the thought of having been alone in this unfamiliar world without any of her loved ones was something that she hadn't like.

_Where is everyone?_

Then… as if someone answered, a voice sounded from the other side of the trunk.

It was such a soothing voice, as if beckoning her to stop her crying. And it was successful in doing so because her tears ceased and she looked up at the wood in front of her. She could see the Ruhk of the person, faint it may be against the dark that surrounded her. It was merely a silhouette but aside from the person, it was only him and one other who stood farther back behind.

They didn't feel threatening, nor did it seem like they were going to hurt her.

But calmer as she may be, she was hesitant in leaving still. She still didn't understand them, but their voice felt as if it was comforting her and she merely listened.

It oddly reminded her of someone.

Suddenly, as if a memory that she had long forgotten suddenly came back to her.

* * *

"_Esher."_

"…"

"_Esher, come on. It's okay."_

_She still didn't answer. Instead, she indignantly made the trunk of the tree grow bigger outwards in an attempt to block the other person behind the wood._

"_Dammit, you."_

_It didn't work. She could still hear him so just made do with personally blocking her own ears with her hands._

_The person from the other side let out a heavy sigh before he spoke again. This time, his tone wasn't nagging like earlier. Though she still did her best to tune him out, glaring at her own feet._

"_It's alright," he said, making her flinch. It only made her more determined to not hear anything that he had to say. But unfortunately, his words can still be heard through. "They _never_ cared for you. _Ever._ All those things they were telling you were lies. You were being forced into following their orders."_

"_Shut up! _Shut up!"

That's a lie. They told me I was family. They told me that if I did a good job and killed all of them, I was going to be family. They told me that.

"_You were the only one left in that tower. All the children that grew up with you were told the same things yet when died, they were _discarded._ They would've done the same thing to you had your body also given up. You were nothing to them. They're liars."_

_She shut her eyes tighter as the memory of them throwing out her dead friends from atop the tower that she was in to the wild monsters below where they likely ate them. It was so horrible. In her heart, she knew that he was telling the truth, but she refused to believe it._

It can't be.

"_I don't care! You don't know anything!" She yelled through her tears and he went quiet before he answered her again._

"_No. I _know_ because I was the same way."_

_A small gasp escaped her, and she looked at the wood separating the two of them with wide eyes. Through it, she could see the silhouette of the older boy, his own Magoi shone truthfully and unwaveringly at her._

"_W-What..?"_

"_They told me the same lies. But used that against me to make me do their bidding. I killed countless of those with my own hands. Watch them with their _own families_ and I took that same family away from them. I pitted a father against his own _son,_ merely watching as he ate his own flesh and blood with tears pouring from his eyes."_

_Suddenly, the things that she took pride in doing came back to her. They had _real_ families. They used to have feelings. _They weren't savages._ And yet… she mocked that very thing that she couldn't have and with false promises, __**destroyed it.**_

_She was the most horrible person that could have existed. She was_ such_ a fool._

_As if he could see her as well, he pressed his forehead in the only thing that separated them. "It's alright. You can never be forgiven but you can always atone like I did. Like everyone did."_

_For a much bigger reason, her tears started pouring from her eyes again and she kept her sobs from escaping her lips. The trunk slowly opened and once it was big enough, she couldn't hold herself back and wrapped her arms around him, her cries heard by everyone who watched from a far._

_The older boy whose name was Solomon shushes her as he crouched down to hug her back. And with that same soothing voice, he told her that everything was alright._

* * *

That was all it took for her to come out.

With a small wave of her hand, the closed opening of the tree parted, and light shone through. The person on the other side stepped back and she took that chance to go outside. She can feel her tears coming back again, and she tried her hardest not to let them fall.

But that proved to be impossible as right in front of her stood Solomon, smiling patiently at her just like all those years ago. His image flickered and a different man with the same smile instead stood in his place but Esher hadn't minded.

With a heavy heart and tears flowing from her eyes like rivers, she crossed the gap between the two of them. In the hug, her cries grew louder, and man merely hugged her back, whispering soothing words to her as he patted slowly patted her back.

She didn't need to have the same tongue to realize that he was telling her that everything was going to be okay.

And she clung tight to those words like she did with Solomon all those years ago.

* * *

The woman's hold on him slowly loosened before he had her in his arms, her eyes closed. It seems that all that had happened made her pass out from exhaustion. Hakuyuu couldn't blame her. If he had been sleeping for maybe hundreds and hundreds of years, waking up expecting to see everything and everyone you know, only to be disappointed by the harsh reality, he would definitely be in the same shoes as her.

He couldn't even fathom how much stress this person was experiencing.

"Hakuren." He looked over his shoulder to his brother who immediately jogged towards him. He took the sleeping woman from him and carried her in her arms.

"She looks so tired," was his first comment.

The first prince looked at her tear-streaked face with pity and agreed with his brother. "She does. Let's bring her back."

"Yes, sir."

If he had a free arm, he would've mocked saluted but what can he do? He had a woman in his hold at that moment. He couldn't just drop half her body. That would be rude. So instead, he just watched as his older brother started walking towards the way they had come from.

He looked at the woman again and he chuckled. _Well, aren't you a little troublesome, Nemurihime?_

With that, he marched after his brother and back to the Palace.

* * *

The woman woke up a little over an hour later. She startled the two princes, who decided to watch over her for the time being, as she immediately sat up in the bed. She was breathing heavily and was covered in sweat; her face had this scared look on it, as well.

Hakuren, who was nearest and had no sense that he should stay away from someone so dangerous, made his way towards her and calmed her down. She was tense at his touch first, but noting that he didn't intend to hurt her, she slowly relaxed her shoulders.

Though she made no sound that indicated that she wanted to talk back to him and his soothing words. They couldn't communicate at the first place so there was really no need for him to do that. But it worked well for his brother and he's still alive, isn't he? So really, he could at least try and do the same thing, even if only the nice gesture went through.

Meanwhile, Hakuyuu called for nearby servants to get ahold of the doctors and Koumei. Now that she was awake, they could perhaps check if there is anything they could see that was unusual from her that they didn't see find while she was in slumber. Especially since she can use magic.

Really, a tiny woman like her was able to grow plant life from around her to ginormous sizes. What else is she capable of? If there comes a time that he gets to speak with her on the same tongue, that would be one of the things he would like to inquire about.

Scary and powerful magic are, he didn't believe that they existed outside of clairvoyance magic. So to suddenly see such a display from the woman when she had just woken up… well, it was alarming. But also very interesting.

When Koumei had arrived with his group of doctors and monks, they immediately set to work in diagnosing her. She looked a little stressed at what they were doing, especially since they had just come in a large group and are fussing over her, but nonetheless, she let them do their work, not answering even when they had talked to her.

When they were done, all they could say was that it was a miracle that she was awake.

"A miracle?" the two princes shared a look of confliction.

"Yes, your Highnesses. She's been asleep for a very long time and her muscles are having trouble in functioning properly but aside from that, she's very much alive." Koumei tapped the tip of his fan against his lips, frowning and saying to himself, "It was a wonder as to how she stayed alive after all those years."

Ah, that explains why she looked like she had been limping and had been relying on the wall and her creations to run away earlier.

The royal monks and doctors excused themselves from the royalties in the room and all three of the Ren glanced at her as she just stared in her cup of tea, unmoving.

"What should we do with her?" Hakuren was first to ask, making the teen and his brother mull over it for a bit.

Yes, what can they do with her? All they know is that she's dangerous with her ability to use magic and that they spoke very different languages. But aside from that, they know nothing else. Not even her origins. Should they bring her back to whence she had been found?

Doing so would mean that someone as troublesome as her would be out of their hands but then comes the question as to what she would do there. Would she try and go back to another hundreds of years of sleep? Or live off of the lands in this unfamiliar time?

There was also the possibility that an enemy may get ahold of her and use her to their advantage. She was found near Mukuge's city after all. It wouldn't be wrong if they assumed that they would use her magic for their own gain instead.

So without much further thought on it, Hakuyuu made a decision.

"We keep her here."

That made Hakuren and Koumei look at him in surprise. 'So it's like that, huh?' was the expression both of them wore. He was a little offended by it, as if he meant harm with his words.

"_We have no other choice._ It's either that, or we bring her back to where you found her." He directed that last part to his brother who gave him a small sheepish smile. He was initially responsible for her, having been the one that found her and brought her back to their Palace. She was in too deep now to be let go.

And to be frank, the reasoning for the first prince's decision was clear as day.

They didn't want to lose against Kai. With the woman coming to their side, they might just turn the tide against them and that was something they couldn't afford to risk. Not when they're so close to winning.

So with that, all three of them collectively looked at her who looked back at them uncomfortably, unknowing of the decisions they had made regarding her.

Once again, fate had done her work and the country of Kou gained an unseen ally within the woman with a foreign origin and tongue.


	4. Chapter 4

_When they had brought her back to their base, Esher had to be dragged by her hand. She remembered that Arba had a brief displeased expression on her face before she smiled at her glaring eyes; softly, carefully._

_“We won’t hurt you. This will be your new home now. I promise.”_

_Even so, she didn’t believe her. How could she anyway? She had no idea what ‘home’ meant, or rather, what it meant for people like her and others. She wouldn’t have known that it was a place that was unlike the church where she grew up in. Neither would she have known that it would lead to her having a family._

_So in all stubbornness, she planted her feet on the ground, making tiny sprouts grow at an alarming rate until they held her firmly. Still, the woman only held her hand firmly and gently. She didn’t tug on her or forced her to come along. Instead she waited patiently for the girl to show hesitation in her eyes as she tried to figure out what the other was up to._

_In a way, you could say that she was afraid of what might happen. The church definitely taught her that any defiance was rewarded with punishment. But after a moment, there was none that came her way._

_So in a small voice, she asked the woman, “Are you not going to punish me?” To which Arba responded with a look of surprise in her face._

_“No,” She went down into a crouch and held Esher’s hand in both of hers and assured her, “We don’t do that here. And we never will.”_

_There was sincerity in her brown eyes. It was the same one that she had seen in the other’s eyes when they had taken her from the Gunud. Back then, they promised her a warm place to live, away from that cold tower and away from the people who raised her to be so spiteful of others. All they wanted was for her to be given a chance to start repenting for her ‘wrong doings’, they said._

_So even when her mind was telling her otherwise, she couldn’t turn away from these warm hands that hold her. It was so much more different from ‘them.’ Slowly the vines that tightly held on to her feet retreated into the ground until she was free once more._

_Arba smiled at her and rose to her feet. When she tugged on the girl’s arm, there wasn’t any resistance to her, and she silently followed after her._

_“Let’s introduce you to the others and then we’ll eat something, okay?”_

_“…un.”_

* * *

She had woken up deep into the night. For some reason, she found herself back at the place where she had wanted to escape from. The room was the same as the first one she had been on, the only difference being the lack of disfigured wooden spikes she had grown. It seems they placed her on a different room. But that only retained her attention for a few moments before she had went into a daze.

She merely stared at nothing and she didn’t move as well. She was still processing what had happened to her, confusion swirling heavily in her chest that it was making it hard to breathe. It was a wonder as to how she hadn’t broken down yet. Maybe it had been because she cried what was left of her tears yesterday. And even if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have noticed it either way in her daze.

Time passed, and it was long after dawn. She found herself staring at the blue sky outside, for some reason looking for the familiar three suns to greet her but it didn’t. There was only a lone sun in the sky and it blinded her for a moment that it made her look away.

That was one of the obvious signs that she wasn’t home anymore, wasn’t it? The absence of two of the tree suns? Not only that, but the fauna around her as well, and the white birds that she can now see. It had been a theory from Ugo that there exists a dimension in which magoi can be physically seen in the form of birds. It hadn’t existed then but here, they do. With a slight call, they come towards her and land in her out reached hand.

This world was utterly different and had she not been riddled with anxiety and worry for the people she had left, she would probably be one to go out and learn more about this strange new world.

Even so, she cannot stay cooped up like she was right now. As much as she wanted to stay where she was and just curl into herself, drowning in her sadness, she knew that it wouldn’t be good for her mental-wise. It would be better to exercise her muscles as well. It still took a lot of effort to move them when she had stood up, but she believed that in time, even the pain of moving would ease up. The thought of being able to move like before and even train was enough to lift her spirits, if even for just a little bit.

So, with much difficulty, she navigated out of the room she was in and out into the gardens where she ignored the soldiers that tried to stop her.

* * *

It had been a peaceful morning when the first princess of Kou had woken up. She had gotten up at the birds’ wonderful singing, having had a good night’s rest, so needless to say, Hakuei was quite chipper. Ah, she felt that nothing could ruin her good mood.

“Good morning, Princess Hakuei,” the female servants had greeter her when she permitted for them to enter and she returned the greeting in kind.

“Good morning!”

Her breakfast was then served which consists of a light meal and accompanied by tea right after, then she was dressed so that she’ll be ready for a day lessons. But before she met with them, she stopped in her walk to look on curiously at the garden below her. In the far distance of the north garden, she could see soldiers congregating at one spot, surrounding someone but not quite coming near. It was as if they were afraid of the person but cannot disobey orders to let them be.

She cocked her head to the side and casted an inquiring look at her head lady-in-waiting. “Do we have a guest?” She had asked and she noted how the maids behind the lady shared looks in their bowing state. For a moment, she figured they hadn’t a clue but then the older woman spoke.

“Yes, Young Princess. I believe his Highness, Prince Hakuren, had brought our guest back from his victory in battle.”

“Oh, I see.”

Hakuei looked back at the crowd and pursed her lips, thinking, then after a moment she resumed her walk. But this time, she had turned the other way.

“Princess?”

“I am just having a look,” she assured them, but the protest had continued.

“It is dangerous, Princess Hakuei. And Prince Hakuyuu had asked of me to keep you away from our… _guest.”_

The insinuation hadn’t escaped her but she ignored it anyways, continuing on her way. “It will be alright. I have faith in our soldiers. And if it’s brother you are worried about, then I will face him myself.” Humming slightly, she added, “I am in the mood to cook anyway.”

Those magical words was all the maid servants needed to hear before they willingly backed away, albeit a little nervously. Their first princess is incredibly _notorious _for the art she makes in the kitchen. So much so that they hadn’t accompanied her inside, even when their cooks immediately evacuated the space and left their oblivious princess by her lonesome.

After quite a bit of waiting, Hakuei left her sanctuary, holding a tray in her small hands with the food she had made set a top of it neatly. In other cases, the maid servants would be the one left to carry such things but when it came to their princess, they let the girl handle it by herself. Not that she had minded. Actually, she much prefers it that way, unknowingly sparing the servants the horrors of her art.

Perhaps all the more surprising fact was that Hakuei was immune to her own poison. Briefly, one of the maids wondered whether that immunity applies to other poisons as well.

When they had come near the crowd, it seems that the situation was more dire than they had thought from when they had been watching from afar. Hakuei’s lady-in-waiting had to raise her voice to distract the soldiers enough to acknowledge the princess.

_“Princess Hakuei!”_

* * *

In the western part of the palace, things were a lot more peaceful that morning. Hakuryuu, having actually gone to his first lesson without any trouble, was still distracted. See, his older brother Hakuren had been up earlier than he due to his training, and when he had been done, the first thing he did was sought his little brother out. And when he found him, he made sure that they played, regardless of whether or not his tutor expressed his displeasure.

“Prince Hakuren, _please_ behave yourself!” The older man shook his fist in the prince’s direction from where he still sat, watching in irk as the youngest was thrown in the air higher than the last. “The young prince mustn’t be disturbed!”

“Geez, calm down, old man. You’ve taught me the same things you’re teaching little Ryuu here. And I must say, I’m having a great time not applying them to my royal life.”

“Mathematics is supposed to be applied to everyday life!”

“And yet the only thing that matters is whether you know how to add them together when you’re cutting down enemies or subtracting when you lose one of your men.”

_“Prince Hakuren!”_

It looked like the other was about to pop a major vein, and the prince laughed jovially at the thought. He still hadn’t forgotten the pain he had gone through under his tutelage and he wasn’t about to forget it now.

Hakuryuu, ever the naïve child that he is, was only ever focused on whether or not his older brother threw him high enough.

“Higher brother Ren! Higher!”

“Right’o!”

And he was thrown just as requested.

_“Prince Hakuren! Trouble!”_

“Wah!”

He barely caught his brother when the shout echoed in the yard. He calmed his heart for a moment, no doubt having flashbacks to that one time their older brother Hakuyuu nearly beat him half to death for nearly failing to catch an airborne three year old Hakuei. If he was caught doing the same thing to their brother, then he should be prepared to run very, _very fast._

He grimaced slightly before he shifted from his perch on the wooden railing to address the soldier who had run up to him.

“What is it?”

The soldier took a brief moment to catch his breath before he answered, “Princess Hakuei is with Nemurihime. I’m afraid she refuses to retreat to safety.”

Despite the lack of change in his expression, Hakuren was very much on the edge.

_Ah, well… I expected her to sit still but I guess that’s not possible._

In that next moment, he had placed Hakuryuu on his feet and beckoned him back to his seat in the middle of the open study hall. He matched the young boy’s worried expression with his usual smile, crouching down to match his height.

“Hakuryuu, I’ll be going away for a bit. It seems your sister is in need of saving from brother Ren.”

His lighthearted tone hadn’t eased the boy; if he even did, it was only slightly.

“Will she be okay?”

“Of course, she will be! I’ll be there after all!”

“O-Okay…”

He ruffled his brother’s hair, messing his bangs, before he stood back up and jumped over the railing. He turned to the soldier.

“Well then, lead the way.”

“Yes, prince!”

* * *

He was greeted by commotion.

The soldiers that had gathered circled around Nemurihime, postures stiff and on guard. They had their weapons drawn. The air was noisy with orders for the woman to get back inside, and amongst the noise was concern for his younger sister to retreat to safety.

But she refused to listen.

It was only when Hakuren broke through the soldiers to get to the middle did people acknowledged his presence.

“Prince Hakuren!”

Having heard that, the tiny princess turned to her brother in surprise.

“Brother Ren!”

He had a sort of exasperation showing on his face as he addressed everyone in the vicinity.

“Hey now, what’s all this commotion about? Haven’t Prince Hakuyuu told the lot of you not to stress out our Nemurihime here?”

Others made to explain while others hadn’t bothered and instead went quiet, knowing he had been right.

“B-But prince, her presence can cause harm and—”

Hakuren tutted at the brave soul, shaking his head disapprovingly, “Ah, but so long as she’s behaving, it should be okay, right?”

He ignored the other excuses that followed after, instead walking past his sister and crouching infront of the woman who was sitting on the ground. She had her arms wound around herself, tiny plant sprouts growing around her. Knowing what she had been capable of just yesterday, he had no doubt those plants weren’t just decorative.

Regardless, he wasn’t worried. He reached out a hand to her, catching her attention and making her look up from where she was intent on staring at the ground.

The moment their eyes met, he saw her blue eyes flash with recognition.

Immediately, the plants she grown around her stopped moving threateningly.

_She remembered him._

“Hey there, Nemurihime. You’re quite the rulebreaker, aren’t you? Even though you’re not supposed to leave your room, you still insisted on going outside.”

It didn’t look like she was listening to him, much less having understood what he said, so he shrugged his shoulders and took the hand that was hesitating on touching him with so he can pull her to a stand.

She did it with much difficulty, clutching to his sleeve.

Seeing as it seems there was nothing to worry about, Hakuei approached with her tray of food in hand. And much like her brother, ignored the concerns from her ladies-in-waiting.

Now, Hakuren may be a tad mischievous and in other circumstances, he would have stayed back and watched as things unfolded. But maybe it was because he had seen their guest cry already that he was reluctant to see it again.

He wasn’t as heartless as his older brother after all.

He took a step back, making the woman do the same out of confusion.

“Now, now Hakuei. We don’t know whether she’ll eat yet or not.”

“Oh, is she not fond of Kou cuisine?”

Hakuren didn’t have the heart to tell her that it might not be that she isn’t fond of them, more like she might have to forfeit her life after a single bite from that meal. So he kept his thoughts to himself and smiled slightly.

He made to tell the younger girl a ‘maybe’, when he felt a tug from where he was holding onto the woman. She was coming closer to his sister, her eyes fixated on the dish that was currently uncovered in her hands.

Hakuren kept his smile in his face, but what others did not see was him tightening his hold on Nemurihime’s wrist and stopping her in her tracks.

She said something to him then, as she looked up at him with that uncomfortable look to her. But he didn’t release her still.

He may have already seen her at her most vulnerable, but that doesn’t mean that he fully trusts her not to hurt his family.

Taking the hint that she wasn’t welcome to do as she pleases, she stopped struggling against his grip. But she remained glancing at the food Hakuei had made, her expression forlorn.

It took him a bit but he put two and two together, concluding that the meal was probably bringing back memories. Though what kind of memories that involved such ‘artistic’ cooking, he did not know.

He sighed.

“Fine, you win,” he told the woman, who was confused as he suddenly raised his hands in the air in an ‘I surrender’ motion, letting her go.

He turned to the soldiers and Hakuei’s ladies-in-waiting and waved them away. They did so with much hesitation. But it wouldn’t be long before they were the only ones in the garden.

Hakuren turned to the woman. “Well, Nemurihime. You want to eat? Then go ahead.” He gestured to his sister who patiently stayed in her place. Upon being gestured at, she smiled warmly at the stranger and held up her tray to the other.

* * *

It was just a hunch at first.

She first saw the contents of the meal when the girl who looked like the man from before had approached her. She was sitting at the grass, trying her best to calm herself as the men around her shouted at her. She couldn’t understand them, and they couldn’t understand her when she had pleaded to them to leave her alone.

But that girl approached her with neither fear nor hatred in her eyes. There was only concern.

Then one of the men who had comforted her prior arrived. And everyone bowed their heads to him, alluding that he was an important person. Seeing him brought relief to flow through her veins and it was enough to calm her down.

He was of a familiar presence and he had his hand reached out towards her. She brought her hand up, not knowing what to do. Should she take his hand, or refuse it? Would it be considered rude in that place?

As she was hesitating, he took initiative and grabbed her wrist to have her stand up with him. It was unexpected, and her knees almost buckled from the sudden movement. She was still unused to walking as of yet, much less standing up immediately. It was a good thing that he was with her, or else she would’ve fallen over.

She muttered a small ‘thank you’ despite him not hearing it.

The girl from before approached them and he took a step back, making her do the same. She looked up at him to see what was wrong, only to see that the white birds that surrounded him was tad nervous.

Esher wondered why, when her gaze was once again captured by the odd dish that the girl had in her hands.

It was so, _so familiar._

Then suddenly, she remembered.

It was just like _her _cooking; _Arba’s._

She doubted that it would be the same as her’s, but at that point, she would accept anything that even reminded her of her home. _Anything._

Esher moved to accept the girl’s offer, but a painful grip in her wrist stopped her from doing so. It was the man beside her. He didn’t spare her a glance, his usual smile in his face, but there was a certain tinge of threat hanging in the air around him.

_Don’t you dare take one more step._

Biting her lip, she muttered a low ‘sorry’ and obeyed.

He may have helped in comforting her yesterday, but that doesn’t mean that they were friends. She was still a stranger in that land and that meant that she wasn’t free to do as she pleases.

And seeing as the girl has some resemblance to the man beside her, she assumed that she was family.

It was clear that Esher wasn’t to come near her.

Just as she accepted such a thought, the grip on her wrist loosened, and he let out a sigh, raising both of his hands in the air. He said something then, as he gestured towards the girl.

Esher’s heart pounded in her chest, as the girl went closer to hand her the meal. She didn’t know why but it seems he had a sudden change in heart.

She took the food gratefully and slowly lowered herself to sit in the grass.

The wind was the only thing that she could hear at that moment, and nothing else. It was accompanied by soft whispers promising what once was.

There was hope blooming in her heart.

Maybe, just maybe, it was the same as her’s. And Esher held tightly to the hope, even when it made tears quickly arise.

She did her best to blink them away, as she reached for the burnt bread, covered in what appears to be a purple liquid.

The moment she took a bite, a memory came rushing back.

* * *

_It was just like then._

_When Esher was brought inside of their headquarters, just like what the woman had promised, she was to eat first. She was sat down in a table covered with food, but the ones that were served to her were food that Arba had made herself._

_It was weird, and she remembered wondering whether it was a foreign sort of food. She had never seen food with purple fumes after all. Even the sort of effect it had on the wood table, as if it was rotting right beneath the plates._

_Those who saw the woman put those food down, immediately reacted and expressed their concerns._

_“Oi, Arba! Are you serious right now!?”_

_“Don’t do this to her so early on!”_

_“I say let her. Think of it as an initiation.”_

_“Solomon!”_

_As a pink-haired girl rounded on the older boy for his comment, Arba assured the lot._

_“Now now, she’s new so she needs to eat.”_

_“Are you seriously playing oblivious to your own pois—”_

_The green-haired boy stopped just as a loud crack resonated. He turned pale, before eventually nursing a bruise he had gotten on his foot. The others, all turned away nervously._

_Esher remembered thinking how unusual they were, bickering yet keeping those same smiles in their faces. The air around them radiated of an unusual warmth, something she was unfamiliar of._

_Chuckling, Arba turned to her to smile brightly._

Even she… looked warm.

_“Young one, don’t listen to them, okay? I’m a genius when it comes to cooking and they just refused to acknowledge it. Here,” she took a plate of what appears to be a bread. She couldn’t tell from the amount of burn that covered it. “Start with this, okay?”_

_She hesitantly accepted the food, and the moment she touched it, she felt the warmth that it radiated._

_“It’s not… cold?” She asked lowly. Arba was the only one who heard it and she was surprised about it._

_“Oh, Esher…” She took her hand in between her’s. Looking at her eyes, she saw pity in her brown eyes. And her hands were warm, just like before. “Don’t think about them anymore, okay?”_

_The girl bit her lip, nodding her head slightly in hesitation before nonchalantly taking a bite of the bread in her hands._

_A wave of flavours instantly flooded her tastebuds._

_…none of them were considered good._

_Even so, Arba looked at her in fascination, eagerly awaiting her verdict. Against that kind of look, she couldn’t say how bad it actually tasted to her._

_“..it’s good…”_

_At that moment, the woman’s smile was so incredibly big that she wondered whether her face would rupture from it. Outrage from the others in the table erupted, but Arba’s gleeful laugh merely drowned them out._

_“What do you mean!?”_

_“Oi oi, did you do something to this kid!? ‘Fess up!”_

_“I hadn’t done such a thing!”_

_But despite that, warmth was starting to envelop her chest. And Esher didn’t know what to do about the good feeling, but shed a few tears from the confusion._

_What was that? And why did it make her heart ache so much?_

_They noticed her silent tears as she started to eat the rest of the bread. Then the soup followed, then the meat, and so on._

_They watched her with their own smiles in their faces, letting her eat as she pleased._

_It felt like she was starting to warm up to them. And for the first time, it didn’t seem like such a bad thing._

* * *

Silent sobs wracked her body, as the tears she held back started pouring. She took a bite again, and again, and again, _and again._ But no matter how much she ate the meal, it didn’t taste any less like Arba’s cooking.

It was the same.

It was just like her’s.

“It’s good,” she said, as she tried in vain to stop her tears.

It hurt way to much, and yet she wanted to cling to that same nostalgia as if she was still that same kid who tasted Arba’s cooking.

This meal… it was the only thing that reminded her so painfully of what she cannot have anymore.

She misses that place so, so much.

In her sobs, she felt a small hand slowly rub her back comfortingly. She looked up to see the girl from before, and she had a familiar comforting look to her. Her small hands wrapped around her own one.

And even that, she was brought back to that memory again.

_Warmth._

How can such a stranger bring such familiarity to her?

She rested her free hand atop the girl’s hands and gave her a smile in kind.

“Thank you.”

Esher held on tightly to that warmth, as she shushes her tears with comforting words she couldn’t understand.

* * *

“Take care now, Nemurihime!” Hakuren called out to the woman, as he turned to leave with his sister who waved goodbye instead.

It was sometime after she cried eating Hakuei’s cooking. They brought her back to her room, just as the sun was at it’s highest point, so that she could rest. After her tears had stopped, she didn’t have enough energy to keep herself upright, so the prince had resorted to bringing her back. His sister was just accompanying them for the meantime, as she was in such a good mood after that morning’s events.

Not that he could blame her. Someone out there actually exists who liked her cooking so much that they started crying about it.

…or at least, that’s what it seemed to her. For the older prince, he can recognize tears made from sadness.

He found the earlier events unusual too. He had never seen cooking that are the likes of what his sister can make. How can such a unique talent be so familiar to that woman?

Hakuren inwardly sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

_Looks like I’ll be disturbing Hakuyuu. Let’s just hope he’s done with his business already._

Then, his sleeve received a gentle tugging, making him turn his attention to the girl beside him.

“What’s wrong?”

She gently shook her head as she walked alongside him. “Nothing is wrong, Brother Ren. I was just wondering whether… um…” Her cheeks then turned a pink-ish hue and she stopped walking, worrying his brother about what was happening. Had he ever seen his sister look this embarrassed before?

He stopped and gawked at her.

“Is it spring already, Hakuei?”

She flailed her hands at him for the teasing comment, vehemently denying it.

“Brother!”

“I’m just surprised, sis. I’ve never seen you blush before!”

She stopped to fiddle with her skirt. “I was just a little happy. I’ve never had anyone finish what I had made and…”

He watched as her face turned redder the longer she talked. By the end of it, she was nothing but a tomato, it seems.

He best put a stop to it though, or he’ll never hear the end of it from Hakuyuu if the other ever found out about this little crush. Besides, a crush on their dangerous guest? Anything that meant associating with the woman is an instant no.

Despite the fact that she had been pretty friendly so far.

He tutted at his sister, ruffling her hair and ruining it.

“Ah, but see, our dear brother Hakuyuu is not gonna be happy about this.”

She looked up at him surprised. “Huh?”

“He finds her interesting you see.”

The princess blinked at that, not understanding what he was implying. She looked at the ground in front of her, while he patiently waited for her to compose her thoughts.

“He likes her?”

_Ahhh, well, I probably shouldn’t even encourage this, huh?_

“Oh he definitely does.”

_He’s definitely gonna hang me for this._

But despite the very real threat that he might get killed by his own brother, he said nothing to correct his sister. Not when he wanted for her to take it in that way.

Hakuei started her walk slowly and Hakuren patiently kept in pace with her, silently apologizing to the princess while praying for his safety to all the deities he knows for his inevitable doom.

He then turned to glance the black braid hanging slightly from the ledge beside them.

“Well then…” he muttered to himself, starting to whistle a tune as he led his downtrodden sister away from the compound where they left Nemurihime.

* * *

She felt really drained.

When she was escorted back to her room, she could barely handle her own weight anymore. It might’ve been because of what she ate, but the recent ones she remembered eating from Arba barely harmed her than back when she was younger.

Still… despite having shed tears like that, inwardly, she had been very happy.

In her mind, all she could think of was, _Finally, something familiar._

…

..

.

There might not be any way for her to return to whence she one belonged to but, as soon as she was fit again, she wanted to try and find a way herself. And that thought alone was enough to soothe her, if only for a bit.

She headed towards her bed and positioned herself under the covers as the temperature in her room slowly decreased.

Esher was set to take a rest but she suddenly sat up in alarm as a voice called out to her.

* * *

A/N: _Hello! How are you all today/tonight?_

_I saw that this hasn't been updated since June of last year so I'm really sorry about that! I have been drawing quite a lot these days with barely any time for writing. I finished this chapter yesterday when I suddenly missed writing out of the blue. So in between drawings, I worked on this and some chapters for my other Magi story!_

_Also, I don't remember whether I've shared any drawings I've done for Esher yet so here's some that I drew last year! Lemme know what you think and if you want to see a full body drawing of her!_

__

_I love her, she's so precious. She just wants to see her family again. :((_

_Hope you enjoyed and see you on the next one!_


	5. Chapter 5

Hakuren heard the slap before he even opened the door. He stepped aside too, just in time for the door to burst open and a woman from inside to come running out.

“I will never come back!” She yelled over her shoulder, sobbing and trying her best to arrange her clothes as decently as she possibly could.

Ah, it seems he should’ve waited a little longer.

His older brother Hakuyuu then exited his room, rubbing the side of his face where a red handprint was. He was just as disheveled as the woman from earlier and he had a slight scowl on his face.

“How many has it been already, dear brother?” He asked, snickering under the other’s glare towards him.

“I don’t keep count.”

“Surely you’d remember those who slapped you though?”

He rolled his eyes at that, refusing to answer (because he damn well knew how many it had actually been) and instead focusing on arranging his clothes. “Why are you here?” He asked, going back inside his room to find something to tie his long hair with.

Hakuren peeked from the window, slightly distracted by the dark room and the messy bed on one end.

“Well, our Nemurihime just woke up and caused trouble for the soldiers.”

“She went outside again?”

“Yep,” he answered, then paused. _I should probably mention that no one was hurt. _“And no magic was used too. So don’t be too worried.”

Hakuyuu glanced at him on the mirror, working on making himself presentable.

“I’m not.”

_“Sure.”_

Sighing in irritation through his nose, he turned to glare at his brother who was leaning in his doorway, arms crossed. He reeked of irresponsibility if you didn’t know him like he did. It was one of the reasons why he’s always annoyed with him at times.

And that woman too. What had she been thinking suddenly going out of her room again after being attacked the last time she tried? Was she really that idiotic?

“What else happened?” he asked his brother, who shrugged his shoulder uncaringly at that. He watched his face as he paused in thought, before adding,

“…Hakuei may or may have gotten a crush on our guest?”

Hakuyuu felt a migraine was on its way.

“How?” He asked, massaging his temples as he collapsed on a nearby chair. “Of all things, it just happened to be a _crush. _On our most dangerous guest, as well.”

Hakuren had a grin on his face, watching in amusement as his older brother was overcome by troubles. “If it makes things any better for you, I did warn her to be careful.”

Hakuyuu was already giving him a look of distrust the moment the other opened his mouth. And he was right to do so. Because what came next from his brother’s mouth just made something snap in him.

“I just hinted that you’re interested in her.”

The imperial crown prince of Kou had to restrain himself from losing a sibling at that moment.

* * *

It was a boy.

With long black hair tied in a sectioned ponytail, narrowed red eyes, and red garbs that looked similar to what the young girl from before wore. He reeked of importance and arrogance that were out of place in such a young face.

Esher didn’t know what to do, especially when her eyes caught the thick mass of black Ruhk surrounding him.

He said something then, jumping down beside the bed and pointing a small wand at her.

Alarm bells rang as she watched the tip of his wand grow brighter, and the temperature of the room decreased further.

_Who was this kid? And what does he want from me?_

“Please leave me alone.”

Her hand touched the bedframe from behind her and activated her magic.

_THUD! THUD! THUD!_

She had closed her eyes instinctively, and when she opened them, the thick branches that covered her form were pierced by ice shards. Her eyes widened, touching the things, and feeling the cold Ruhk that it has.

_Magic._

“You speak Torran?”

Hearing the voice made her gasped and she looked over to the boy beside her. He has a scowl on him, the tip of his wand still frosty from his earlier spell. Was he the one who spoke?

“C-Come again…?” She asked him, hesitantly. Her heart was hammering in her chest from nervousness. She didn’t know whether the child really was the one who spoke or if she was only hearing things.

But nonetheless, she hoped.

His face morphed into confusion, “Ha? Are you deaf too?”

Turns out, she was not hearing things. She hadn’t even cared that he had just insulted her. Esher was just happy that _finally, _someone can understand her.

She slowly crawled to the edge of her bed, her magic retracting and trying her best to keep her voice steady to keep herself from crying from relief.

“You can speak my language, boy.” She told him and he looked a little uncomfortable. All tension hadn’t left him yet, but Esher cared little about getting hurt.

“…w-what about it?” He looked at her with distrust as she answered him what she truly felt, being alone in that unfamiliar place.

“No one else can speak like I do. And I cannot understand them, as well.” She clutched the front of her dress as once again, she was reminded of reality. “I wish to go back, but I am unable to do so.”

“You’re not from here?” He asked her, placing down his wand hesitantly. His Ruhk calmed down, unlike earlier when it had been really hostile. He was just wary at most, now.

“No… I have never seen a place such as this before.”

That was the truth. And he turned skeptical, as if he hadn’t believed her.

“Really? You’ve never heard of the Kou Empire?”

Esher slowly shook her head. She was afraid to ask. _But was that what this place was called?_

“How about the Parthevia Empire?”

“No…”

“Reim?”

She shook her head.

“Balbadd? The Dark Continent? _The Kingdom of Gou?”_

Esher didn’t know what to do aside from muttering, “I have never heard of those before.” The more the boy listed all these places, the more she realized that she was far, _far _away from home. It was all unfamiliar.

The boy leaned away from her, frowning. “Then where are you from?” At that, he noticed the mark of a third eye on her forehead and he stared. “Are you from a Torran tribe then?”

She was confused. “Torran… tribe?”

He inspected her face, then took her sleeve so that he can look at her hands closer as well. She watched him do so, waiting for him to explain. It was the first time she heard of ‘Torran tribe’, but from how he had looked like as if he had guessed close, it might lead to some of her questions to be answered.

“I’ve never heard of those tribes before.” She told him honestly, just as he dropped her sleeve.

“Aside from the third eye in your forehead, that’s all you have in common with them.” He told her, crossing his arms at her. “You’re not tan like them, nor do you even have the same dialect as they do.”

“Oh…”

He peered up at her face as she looked solemnly at her hands.

“Where did you even come from?”

It was such a simple question, but she was reminded of the home that she had gotten accustomed to for an entire decade. The hot and humid air, the deserts that went on for miles, the rifts scattered about, the sweet fruits, the three suns, and the most obvious of all, her _family, _the Resistance Faction.

“We haven’t a name for it, but we have three suns,” Esher told him, the obvious difference between that world and her’s. She hoped by starting with that would narrow down his guesses as to where she had originated from.

But watching as his face morph into something that shows he hadn’t understood, the hope that had bloomed in her chest immediately disappeared.

“There’s… no place like that here, I assume?” She asked him, smiling ruefully at him. “It’s alright. Thank you for trying.”

He looked uncomfortable. But nonetheless, he nodded his head at her in response.

An uncomfortable silence washed over them then, both not knowing what to say. One was standing by the bed, shifting his weight from one foot to another while the other sat in it. That is, until Esher’s thoughts went back to the magic spell the boy showed her earlier.

She had wanted to ask. Looking closely at him now, he barely had any Magoi in his body but he easily casted the spell from before.

“Where did you learn magic?” She asked him, making him look at her initially in distrust, until she added, “I was just impressed that you can do Ice magic at such a young age.” She smiled at him, making him a little embarrassed as he looked away.

He looked a little flattered.

“O-Of course! I’m a great Magi, after all!”

She grinned slightly at him as for the moment, she was a little happy that she finally has someone she could talk to. That, and her weakness are kids. She was often one of those back at home who often played with the children and taught them magic as well when their parents are out on the battlefield.

Being with the boy elated her.

Esher continued to talk with him, and he did the same to her. She found that his name was Judar and he found that her’s was Esher.

And before she knew it, they’ve talked non-stop and she appreciated having a proper conversation for once.

* * *

When the crown prince had entered the room, he was surprised at what he was witnessing.

For _some _reason, their young ‘Magi’ had found his way inside their secret guest’s room. And currently, he was also _talking _to her. He used the same language as her, not some jumbled words he made up on the spot as the woman continued to respond to him. So he threw out the argument that the boy was merely pretending to understand her.

But he still didn’t know how to feel about it, as he waited for either one of the two to react to his presence while he watched by the door. (He also motioned for the maids that accompanied him to leave before they called out to the two.)

Ever since Judar was brought in the Palace all those years ago, he knew not to associate with him. _Anyone _that their mother brought there, he _knew_ not to trust. It started with a bad feeling when their mother started acting weird. Until one day, she turned completely into a different person but with the same face.

Then started the questionable things that she had done.

One of those was when the priests that accompanied her everywhere suddenly brought a baby to the Palace. _That _was Judar. And he still remembered the night that he was brought there. His cries echoed in the night, until suddenly, it stopped.

The dread had been stronger then.

Now, years had passed, and that same baby was this boy in front of him, whose mere presence foretold danger.

What had happened that he ended up talking with their dangerous guest?

As he was deep in thought, the woman finally took notice of him and she froze, making the boy stop talking as well to turn to where she was looking at.

Immediately, the smile he had in face turned into a scowl.

“What are you doing here?” He demanded of him, and the prince shook his head at him.

“I should be the one asking you that.” He walked towards them so that he stood imposingly at the edge of her bed, crossing his arms and pointing a calm but distrustful look towards the boy. “Were you not taught not to barge in on a woman’s room uninvited?”

The boy made a disgusted look at him. “I should ask you the same thing, pervert prince.”

It took Hakuyuu quite a bit of effort not to pinch the cheeks of that boy for being so cheeky. Nonetheless, it seems that he sensed the annoyance in his smile as he blew a raspberry in his direction before sharply turning his head in the other direction.

Hakuyuu inwardly snorted to himself about how he was exactly like a brat then and there.

The woman said something to the br—_boy, _something that was akin to telling him off and he said something back in return, snapping. He imagined he was telling her some nasty things but she was merely smiling patiently at him.

After a moment of back and forth, she was able to get through the kid and he huffed, jumping off the bed.

_“Fine.”_

Then without so much as another word, he opened the window and flew out.

Just like that, he was gone.

He heaved out a sigh, the tension in his body leaving as he relaxed. Judar was troublesome, and every time they see each other, he was turning worse and worse. It was a miracle that he had left with such little fuss than normal.

In any case, he was now gone and he can now do what he had come for in the first place; warning her to stay away from his sister. It would be hard to communicate seeing as the only middleman that can translate for the two of them is a reluctant and bratty Magi, he figured that he’d show the woman instead.

“Come,” he motioned for her to follow and turned.

He heard sheets move and then—

_THUD!_

He paused in his step, then turned back to see the woman sprawled on the floor, as if she just fell off of her bed. He watched silently as she grabbed the bed post and dragged herself to a stand. They stared at each other, Hakuyuu merely waiting.

Realizing that he was waiting for her, she took a tentative step and left her support.

…only to fall down on the floor again.

As he watched her look at him helplessly, he realized that communication may not be a priority at that moment.

He sighed, and called for the maids to enter.

* * *

Esher didn’t know how things ended up the way they were.

She was just in her room and talking with Judar, then the man from before came and made the boy leave. Then here she is now, currently being held by her arms by two women and was being prodded to walk.

It was harder than she remembered, especially when she’s very heavily reminded that she’s currently incapable of doing the action on her own. But even with assistance from these women, her legs shakes whenever they let more weight than she can handle.

Meanwhile, the young man found a place to sit by a gazebo, water from the pond surrounding the background. He merely watched from his perch, sometimes giving what sounded like instructions to the two women.

But even when she’s currently suffering, she knew that it was for her own good. She’s useless without the ability to walk, and it would even take all her muscles to recover to the point that she can start training her body again in preparation for casting spells.

It was for her own good.

So even if the other was watching her in amusement as she struggled, she still appreciate the thought.

Her foot got caught in small stone and she nearly tripped, if it weren’t for the two beside her who caught her fall.

…she wanted to cry.

* * *

“Father, are you sure you don’t want to meet Nemurihime?”

“I’m sure she’s lovely.”

“I have a feeling that you don’t fully believe that she exists in the first place.” Hakuren accused, rolling his eyes playfully, the marches of the maids, retainers, and soldiers of his father echoing behind the two of them.

The older man smiled at him. “…It might be a bit hard for me to absorb the fact that a young woman stayed alive for almost a thousand years and she speaks a foreign language.”

_Ah, well that makes sense._

“I don’t blame you,” He agreed, nodding his head sagely. “If someone else told me that, I wouldn’t believe them either.”

“Then you know where I stand in this matter.”

His father concluded, always so patient when speaking to him even with all his mischievous antics. Even so, it was disappointing that he held no interest in meeting Nemurihime. You would think that their father who is very much fond of adventures wouldn’t pass up such an opportunity to see someone who may have come from a world that was long gone.

“Not even a peek? My men worked hard to bring her back after all.”

As you can see, Hakuren can be pretty stubborn. But the emperor remained firm with his last answer.

“I’m quite alright Hakuren, my boy. Trust me.”

Hakuren let out a sigh, giving up for now. “Sure.”

Comfortable silence settled between them then.

“Hakuren,” the emperor called out to his second son.

“Father,” the second prince then answered.

The older man stopped walking and turned to his son. His face was serious and grave. Instantly, Hakuren straightened up.

“I will be heading for the battlefield in three days. I would like for you and your brother to accompany me.”

He was surprised to hear that. It wouldn’t have been a week before he has to leave again. And he wasn’t afraid to voice that out to his father.

“Oh, so soon already? I just came back, too.”

“The more Kai gets cornered in Mukuge, the more they would get aggressive. I would like there to be minimal casualties as much as possible.”

Suddenly, he was brought back to the bloody battlefield once more. All the corpses, all the blood, all the wounded that survived, and all those who hadn’t. The endless cycle of blood wouldn’t end unless the war does. His father has a point with saving as many as he could.

“Does Yuu already know?”

“He does. And he expresses interest in bringing along your cousin Kouen so that he may observe.”

“Ohh, well, I see.” He smiled slightly. “Things are about to get interesting, aren’t they?”

The emperor merely smiled mysteriously at him as well.

* * *

It was late afternoon when the young man had ordered for the women to stop. At that point, she was exhausted and she can barely take another step. Adrenaline really _was _the only thing that helped her before.

But even so, it felt good to feel exhausted after doing something productive for once. Being bound for most of her time in her bed was souring her mood a lot. She wanted to feel as if she’s not a burden to these people like now.

And as soon as she can walk again, she wouldn’t mind helping around.

Esher watched as the women left, bowing their heads to the man. She was uncomfortable then, not knowing what she was supposed to do. Should she leave?

She stayed sitting in the grass where she was left by the others, until her attention was caught by the plants near her. She remembered that they had been different than the ones she grew up seeing. But her curiosity stayed with her and she wanted a closer look.

It was a little ways away, and she doubt they’ll care if she goes off a few feet from her last position, so she crawled for a bit until she was at the edge of the bushes.

As she held the leaves in her hand, she couldn’t help but marvel at how green they are. It was a stark difference to the dull green and sometimes light brown colour of those back home. They would grow a light green but never quite get the same shade as these.

It was intensely hot then and it would change the colour fast.

She can appreciate just how different these are compared to those. Even the flowers there had nice shades of purple, white, and pink. It was so elegant to look and very pretty as well.

Then she noticed a lone bud in the see of blooming flowers. It was blocked by leaves from getting sunlight and unlike its sisters, no one would bat an eye towards it; a late bloomer.

As she brushed the leaves clear from the hidden bud, she heard footsteps approach her. Esher turned to see who it was and found a curious look pointed at her by the young man. He said something to her, praised as a question and she thought that he was asking about what she was doing.

She motioned for him to come nearer and he did, ignoring the worried voices from behind him.

He crouched beside her and looked at the bud. He looked confused.

“Look,” she told him as she held it between her fingers and Magoi flowed from her fingertips. The bud slowly bloomed, showing hundreds of petals like its sisters.

He looked amazed at that, and she noticed that a small genuine smile flew past his lips for a moment, and then it was gone.

He muttered something to her, then rose to his full height, offering a hand towards her.

She stared at it for a moment, before tentatively taking his offer and allowing herself to be pulled to a stand.

* * *

She was escorted back to her room after that. It was a quiet and slow trek, as the sun started to make its way down in the horizon and bathing everything in an orange hue.

When she got back, she found the table inside was filled with different kinds of meals; ranging from meat, to vegetables, to deserts. It was elegantly prepared, and she was a little intimidated by it. Was that how other ate there? Always so extravagantly.

The people who took her back left her to do her own thing, and then, she sat there eating on her own.

The taste faintly reminded her of the meals she used to eat. The flavour was faintly the same but had much more to them just a simple salty, sour, and sweet. It was as if flavours were mixing together and it worked really, really well.

_Different. _But… well, she liked it really.

There weren’t a lot she could use to eat though. There was a spoon-like thing in there that made for tasting the soup easier. But aside from that, she couldn’t use it to cut meat or ever scoop them up with it. It seems that it wasn’t made for that.

There were also two sticks but for the life of her, she had no idea how to use them aside from stabbing the meat with it and hoping it wouldn’t slide off before she could take a bite.

Also, funnily enough, a familiar girl entered her room after an older woman opened the door for her.

There was silence, as Esher froze in the middle of her eating to see the others staring at her. It felt like they were judging her harshly for what she was doing but merely stayed oblivious to it.

She only realized when the girl giggled at her and told something to the women behind her. Which then led to them coming over Esher and showing her what the proper posture was and how to eat using those sticks she was misusing.

She was a little wary of them but found that they merely wanted to help. So, she relaxed slightly and let them do what they were told.

By the end of it, even though communicating through gestures had been hard, she found that she’s not supposed to sit crossed legged on the chair, her back needed to be straight, and the sticks weren’t for stabbing but for picking things up.

…she never would have figured all of that all on her own so she muttered a grateful “thank you” to them even though she knew none would understand.

She just hoped that at least her gratitude was understood.

Later, as the plates of food were taken out of her room, Esher realized what the girl was visiting her for. She held a scroll with her and sat beside her on the table, opening it up to reveal their language in written form. There were drawn illustrations besides the odd and intricate letters that hinted that the girl might be there to help with the language barrier.

It was… very kind of her. She needed all that can distract her and learning a new language would be a good thing to do instead of being lost in her thoughts again. If she can use it to someday communicate with these people properly in the future, then she was more than happy to learn.

Esher listened quietly, smiling, as the girl started pronouncing the letters.

* * *

_It reminded her of back then, when she had been little and refused to learn how to properly read._

_For her, as long as she can read the formulas in magic circles, then that was all that mattered. Of course, Arba had disapproved and she was very determined to teach her._

_“Esher, reading formulas would be the bare minimum for us magicians. But there’s a lot more to learn in our world than magic circles.”_

_She had a point there, but being only ten, she had been stubborn. Unfortunately, Arba was even more stubborn than her. So try as she may to run whenever their paths crossed, or even just seal herself in another tree, the woman wouldn’t hesitate to run after her or chop the tree she was in down._

_It was scary, she remembered._

_But that was what had her interested in plants in the first place. She was tasked with taking some books to Setta from Arba’s library and one of them had been about plants. She had been curious, so she took a look and instantly fell in love._

_She had always been able to use plants at will, but she never once sat down and tried to understand them and how they were the way they were._

_She had disappeared for a whole day then. Everyone spent a long time looking for and she had heard later that Arba threatened to destroy their base if they don’t find her. Fortunately, they were able to do so before the woman makes do on with her promise._

_Setta, the recipient of the books, was actually the one who found her on a deserted hallway. She was laying on her stomach in the ground, the book about plants that she had liked was still open and the pages were softly swaying in the wind._

_She fell asleep._

_He had to take her back and when she woke up in Arba’s arms, the woman had been very upset with her. She didn’t know why but thinking about it now, she must’ve been worried sick._

_Nonetheless, she remembered smiling to Arba even amidst her angry nags and telling her excitedly about the book she liked. Everyone was surprised, especially as they had known how much she previously hated to read and now here she was, rattling off what she could decipher on Setta’s book._

_Arba had been less mad after she had talked non-stop about it, and she hugged the girl to her._

_“A-Arba?”_

_“Nothing, Esher. I just wanted to hug you.”_

_“Oh…”_

_A snicker then followed from their lightning magician, Ithnan._

_“She can be sappy too, see?”_

_Someone was hurt for that comment. But it was one of those moments she fondly looked back on._

* * *

If… if she couldn’t find a way back…

She wouldn’t mind if she stayed here and found someone who would often listen to here about plants. That would be… well, that would be wonderful.

* * *

A/N: _Hello! back at it again with another update. I've been having a lot of fun writing lately since my tablet pen's charger went missing. I found it again so I can get back to drawing my life away but I still wanna write aaaaaa_

_So here you guys go!_

_Also, since my charger has been found, and a reader from Fanfiction said they wanted to see a full body of Esher, I drew my girl! Properly and not sketchy this time hahaha!_

_ _

_Also, I just realized that her hair length changes every time I draw her but that should be close to what I originally had in mind!_

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter and tell me what you guys think!_

_I'll see you at the next one!_


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